Oklahoma Releases Final Availability Report Ahead of Auburn Clash

The No. 21-ranked Sooners will be without plenty of key pieces for their first SEC road contest against the Auburn Tigers.

Oklahoma Sooners offensive lineman Jake Taylor (79), offensive lineman Febechi Nwaiwu (54), offensive lineman Joshua Bates (64) and offensive lineman Jacob Sexton (76) walk to the line during a college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the Houston Cougars at Gaylord Family–Ð Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. / BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK

AUBURN, AL — Oklahoma avoided a final catastrophic update on the injury front ahead of its first SEC road test. 

Offensive tackle Jake Taylor will be available as the Sooners (3-1, 0-1 SEC) meet the Auburn Tigers (2-2, 0-1) at Jordan-Hare Stadium. 

That’s where the good news stops. 

Quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. will be without a host of skill position talent to make his first career start. 

Earlier this week, OU leading receiver Deion Burks was ruled out of the contest. 

He left last week’s lost to Tennessee early with what Brent Venables labeled as a “soft tissue” injury. 

Burks leads Oklahoma with 26 receptions for 201 yards and three scores. 

OU’s second-leading receiver is tight end Bauer Sharp, who has 14 catches for 116 yards and a score. 

The Sooners were hopeful that receiver Nic Anderson could give the offense a jolt last week, but he didn’t make it out of the first quarter. 

Anderson is out of the trip to Auburn as well with a quad injury. Last year, Anderson caught 38 passes for 798 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Andrel Anthony is also out, joining Jalil Farooq and Jayden Gibson, and true freshman running back Taylor Tatum was also ruled out of the contest. 

Tatum exited in the first quarter against Tennessee. He had three rushed for 14 yards against the Volunteers. For the year, Tatum has 116 rushing yards on 18 carries and two two scores. He also has a catch for nine yards and a touchdown.

Thankfully, the Sooners are still healthy on the other side of the ball. 

Cornerback Gentry Williams was ruled out again early in the week, and linebacker Dasan McCullough will once again be on the shelf. 

McCullough has yet to play this year, though he did put pads on during warm ups last week ahead of the Tennessee contest. A year ago, McCullough had 30 tackles playing cheetah linebacker for Venables' defense.

Offensive linemen Branson Hickman and Troy Everett did not appear at all on the availability report this week, indicating they should both be fully available. 

Hickman started and played the entire game last week. 

Everett was available, but he did not play. 

If Hickman continues to start at center, Everett could be used a guard. While Febechi Nwaiwu has struggled at right guard, Oklahoma could continue to lean on his experince in road games and instead opt to look at rotating between Everett and redshirt freshman Heath Ozaeta at left tackle.

Last week was the first game of the year the starting offensive line played the entire game, however, so OU offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh may be reluctant to disrupt any chemistry that was built against a Tennessee's talented defensive front.

Last year he played primarily left guard for the Sooners before he was replaced by then-true freshman Cayden Green. 

Oklahoma and Auburn will kick off at 2:30 p.m. in front of over 84,000 orange-clad Auburn fans at Jordan-Hare Stadium, and the contest will be broadcast on ABC.